Taking Slow Steps
by DragonWinged
Summary: Edward changes Bella in order to save her life. Follow the two lovers as Edward helps Bella learn to hunt and deal with other aspects of being a vampire. Filled with plot and romance. Rating will probably go up. I do not own Twilight. R
1. Fallen

**SLOW STEPS**

**Chapter one - Fallen**

I looked up to find Alice, standing in my bedroom doorway, nervously twisting the sleeves of her new black lacey top. Something was seriously wrong. Alice would never damage clothing like that. She was pale, even by vampire standards, her face drained of all color, despite the expertly applied makeup from earlier.

"Alice?" Her thoughts came flooding in. I flinched. At first, I was unable to take in what I heard. I sat there, momentarily frozen on the chair. The magazine slipped from my hands, and landed on the carpet with a soft tap. "No," I heard myself croak. "No!"

"We have to hurry," she whispered, her voice quivering, and she was gone after that, already on her way. I didn't even go for the door. I pushed out the window, and leapt to the ground. I took off running through the dense woods and passed Alice within seconds. Neither of us were breathing. We were focusing on only two things. The vision Alice had seen, and preventing it from progressing any further. The image from her mind was seared into my own. I felt myself shaking. The image was difficult to handle.

Bella. She had to be okay, she _had_ to. I couldn't let her die. Not like this, not ever. I needed to see her face, her beautiful blush, hear her breathing, feel her heart beat. I couldn't live without it. If I lost her, I wouldn't be able to go on. I couldn't.

I increased my pace. I had to be going well over one hundred. Trees flew past me at speeds I'd never witnessed before. Fast enough that I fell into a boulder, cracking it, and probably my ribcage. I stood up, and raced forwards, determined. I would save her. She would live. She had to.

Then I saw it. The clearing, the meadow that had held so many good memories with Bella. That was different now. The meadow was now a place of pain and nightmares. I didn't have time to think, to grieve. I sprung forward, knocking the bear forwards, away from my Bella. I smelled her blood, her glorious intoxicating scent, smeared upon its muzzle. Alice rushed in and began pouncing on the bear, biting, screaming, ripping at its furry flesh. I dashed back to Bella.

There she lied, bleeding from the deep swollen gashes that covered her torso and arms. She was thoroughly unconscious, her long thick lashes draped over those deep chocolate eyes. I brought myself to a crouch beside her. Tears spilled from my eyes, down my cheeks, and dripped onto her unmoving form.

"B..bella," my voice cracked. She wasn't breathing. I began to sob and delicately pushed her mahogany hair out of her face. Alice appeared at my side, having meticulously ripped the bear apart. The creature deserved every ounce of pain it received. Alice gingerly picked up Bella's fragile wrist, and placed her thumb onto it, searching for a pulse. _It's so faint it's going to die out any moment. You know you have to do it, Edward. Do it now! _

I looked down at the bleeding angel. At any moment she'd be standing before the gates of heaven. Could I take away her soul, for my own selfishness? Was it right? Would she want this? I was only sure about the last question: yes. Yes, she wanted to become one of my kind more than anything. Perhaps not at this timing, but she wanted it. I took her tiny hands in each of my own, and drew a slow deep breath.

"Damn it Edward! Change her before she's gone!" Alice hollered, in a tone I'd never heard from her till this moment. Had the situation been reversed, I'd have acted the same way towards her.

I had played this scene through my head, a hundred, perhaps a thousand times. Never had I imagined it like this. I lowered my head to her neck, one of the few places not bleeding. I was about to hurt her, my love, my angel. I wished I had time to mentally prepare myself. But there was no time. Time was an enemy now, slowly pulling her away from me. I had to prevent that.

I kissed her gently, tenderly, a few inches below her right ear, before I allowed my venom to enter her bloodstream. _Just pretend it's a kiss,_ I told myself, hoping it would help the fact I was about to inflict pain upon her. Then I bit in, relishing the taste of her sweet blood as it collected in my mouth. I lifted my face and looked at my tears that had collected on her skin. They were still streaming from my face, and I made no effort to wipe them away. I checked her pulse. It was gone. There was no way to tell whether she had joined me as a vampire or if she was……gone.

My sobs grew louder. I glanced at Alice. "Can you see anything," I asked, turning my gaze back to Bella. I heard her thoughts before she spoke.

She shook her head, a devastated but somehow still hopeful expression on her pixie like face. "No. She's unconscious. I can't see any decisions. The last thing I saw of her was her decision to call to you, for help." Alice pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin atop them.

I picked up Bella. She was still my angel, whether she as dead or soulless. Through all the wounds and blood soaked clothes, she was gorgeous. Stunning. I prayed she was alive, that I would sing her lullaby again and she would cuddle against me inside my arms.

As I cradled her, I tried to comfort myself by thinking how, if she really was gone, how she would be in heaven now, beautiful, and a real true angel. But I would miss her, with all my being. I would grieve every day until I would no longer have will to live. Then death would lull me into a peaceful nothingness.

I started up abruptly, shaking my head. I couldn't think like this. Bella was alive. She would become even more beautiful than she was the time I first fell for her, and we would live on together, forever. I tried to think of Bella as my own kind. Her beauty would be breathtaking. These thoughts helped, though I couldn't cease sobbing. I knew I wouldn't until I knew she woke again. And she _would_ awake.

Alice cleared her throat quietly and stood up. "I'll get the others. Will you be okay for a few minutes?" she asked gently.

I nodded into Bella's soft hair.

"Kay," she whispered and placed a hand onto my shoulder. I didn't look up. "Physical transformation starts to take place in about an hour. You'll know then if Bella…is one of us," she said, choosing her words carefully.

I nodded again. My arms tightened around Bella, as I began the hardest hour I had faced in all of my one hundred and seven years.

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A/N: Thar u go, my first Twilight fanfic. Not a one shot. Please review. Give me advice, etc. I love reviews!!

-Kemberlin


	2. Stumbling

**SLOW STEPS**

**Chapter Two - Stumbling**

We arrived in the dense gathering of thick canopied trees leading to the meadow. Alice was clinging to my shirt, crying against my chest. I ran my hands through her choppy dark hair. There were waves of emotion rolling off of everyone. Grief, devastation, hope, fear…it was a lot to handle. It wasn't any use to manipulate the feelings, they were too strong, omnipresent in the faces of my family and myself.

As we slowly entered the clearing, a fierce sensation of sadness and desperation hit me. Edward. He sat in the grass, cradling Bella in his arms, his face buried in her hair. His shoulders shook hard with sobs, as he breathlessly gasped her name over and over again.

Carlisle went to him first. He carried with him a bag stocked with medical supplies, including morphine to numb Bella's pain. If she was alive. I stopped that train of thought immediately, for Edward's sake. I had never seen him like this, so scared and heartbroken. Our father was there, trying to comfort him, though not with much success.

Edward put Bella down very gently, careful as if not to break what was already broken. He still held onto one of her pale hands, his own fingers trembling while he stroked her hair. I heard him sob her name again, and saw the pained expression as a father watched his suffering son. Carlisle began checking over Bella, cleaning the slashes in her sides, and giving her the pain medication.

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Carlisle faced me, and took a deep breath. "There's nothing I can tell you that you don't already know," he said gently. "All we have now, is to wait." I nodded not trusting my voice. "There's no use bandaging her wounds. They'll heal with her transformation. I pray that she's still with us." Carlisle paused for a moment before standing. "Edward," he started. I glanced up at him. "I know you'll find a way to blame yourself for this, but I can assure you, that whatever happens, none of it is your fault."

I looked back down at my fallen angel. My father was wrong. It was my fault. Completely and totally. I was her love, she trusted me with her life, even though I had the power to kill her in an instant. I had let her down. I had allowed some foul creature to lay its filthy claws upon her, and take her human life.

I watched as Alice tried to come over, but Carlisle stopped her, telling her "he needs space right now." Damn it! I didn't need space, I didn't need anything! All I needed was my Bella. To hear her laugh, to feel her touch. That's all I longed for right now. As I looked down at her, tears fell faster, and I picked her up once more. Seeing her like this, hurt, vulnerable, helpless…it was the harshest scene I'd ever laid eyes on. It was almost too much to handle.

I thought of what the funeral would be like. Charlie and Renee, all her friends…they'd be in so much pain. My own family would grieve for her too. And then for me, when I'd take my own life. The act was unavoidable. If Bella died, I couldn't go on. My family would try to intervene, to talk me out of it. They would not succeed. I loved Bella more than life. Without her, what was the point? My family knew I felt this way. They knew that if they lost Bella, they'd with out a doubt lose me too.

There would only be one task I would complete after losing my Bella. I would see that she was given the most beautiful goodbye. She would not go unremembered. Everyone she ever cared for would be invited. Even Jacob. Especially Jacob. For Bella's sake. I would line the room with her favorite flowers and blue decorations. Then I would play her lullaby for her, one final time.

When my own life was taken, I'd ask my family to bury my ashes with Bella. I'd prefer my body to be buried, not cremated, but that's the way it had to be for vampires. I wished there was some loophole, some way that I could be buried with her, forever in an embrace with her inside my arms. But that was impossible. I'd have to settle for otherwise.

I broke my gaze away from Bella's still, emotionless face. It was painful to look at. This whole situation brought me intense physical pain. Another audible sob escaped my lips. I tightened my arms around her delicate body and looked up at the sky. A long grey stratus cloud was moving, and the sun peeked through momentarily. A small light through the labyrinth of darkness.

I looked down at my Bella. My angel's skin was sparkling.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. I'll get the next, hopefully longer, chapter up soon. I really appreciate any reviews! **

**-Kemberlin**


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